This vast desert is surely one of the most remote and inhospitable areas anywhere. It is also the largest sand only desert in the world. In the Uighur language its name means ‘once in never out’ and it is thought that beneath its shifting sands lie the ruins of fabled ancient cities.

A 500km highway crosses the desert; it was originally built to allow engineers to prospect for oil reserves. Reeds have been planted to prevent the sand from blowing over the road but sand ‘geysers’ are a common sight and bad weather can make the route impassable.